The VA-111 ''Shkval'' (from russian: шквал, ''

squall A squall is a sudden, sharp increase in wind speed lasting minutes, as opposed to a wind gust, which lasts for only seconds. They are usually associated with active weather, such as rain showers, thunderstorms, or heavy snow. Squalls refer to the ...

'')

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, su ...

and its descendants are

supercavitating torpedo A supercavitating torpedo is a torpedo using the effect of supercavitation to create a bubble around the torpedo to move at high velocity under water. The following is a list of supercavitating torpedoes which have been developed or are in developme ...

es originally developed by the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

. They are capable of speeds in excess of 200

knots A knot is a fastening in rope or interwoven lines. Knot may also refer to: Places * Knot, Nancowry, a village in India Archaeology * Knot of Isis (tyet), symbol of welfare/life. * Minoan snake goddess figurines#Sacral knot Arts, entertainme ...

(370 km/h or 230 miles/h).

Design and capabilities

Design began in the 1960s when the NII-24 research institute was ordered to produce a new weapon capable of engaging nuclear submarines. The merger of the institute and GSKB-47 created the Research Institute of Applied Hydromechanics, who continued with the design and production of the Shkval. Previously operational as early as 1977, the torpedo was announced as being deployed in the 1990s. The ''Shkval'' is intended as a countermeasure against torpedoes launched by undetected enemy submarines. Shkval head

The VA-111 is launched from

torpedo tube A torpedo tube is a cylindrical device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units (also referred to as torpedo launchers) installed aboa ...

s at . A

solid-fuel rocket A solid-propellant rocket or solid rocket is a rocket with a rocket engine that uses solid propellants ( fuel/oxidizer). The earliest rockets were solid-fuel rockets powered by gunpowder; they were used in warfare by the Arabs, Chinese, Persian ...

accelerates it to cavitation speed, with a combined-cycle gas turbine in the nose creating the required gas bubble. Once accelerated, speed is maintained by an underwater ramjet fueled by hydroreactive metals using seawater as both reactant and the source of oxidizer; the torpedo travels at around . Published information about this type of hydro-ramjet shows a dedicated steam circuit for the supercavitation generating head. Some reports indicate that the VA-111 possibly exceeds speeds of , and that work on a version was underway. The high speed is made possible by supercavitation, whereby a gas bubble surrounding the torpedo is created by outward deflection of water by its specially-shaped nose cone and the expansion of gases from its engine and the gas generator in the nose. This minimizes water contact with the torpedo, significantly reducing drag. Early designs may have relied solely on an

inertial guidance system An inertial navigation system (INS) is a navigation device that uses motion sensors (accelerometers), rotation sensors ( gyroscopes) and a computer to continuously calculate by dead reckoning the position, the orientation, and the velocity (dire ...

. The initial design was intended for nuclear warhead delivery. Later designs reportedly include terminal guidance and conventional warheads. The torpedo steers using four fins that skim the inner surface of the supercavitation gas bubble. To change direction, the fin(s) on the inside of the desired turn are extended, and the opposing fins are retracted. In 2016, KTRV was upgrading Shkval.

Manufacture

The torpedo is manufactured in

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the east. ...

by a state-owned factory. In 2012 the Russian government asked for a 75% ownership of the factory in exchange for writing off massive Kyrgyz debt to Russia.

Espionage

In 2000, former U.S. Naval intelligence officer and an alleged

Defense Intelligence Agency The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) is an intelligence agency and combat support agency of the United States Department of Defense, specializing in defense and military intelligence. A component of the Department of Defense (DoD) and the I ...

(DIA) spy Edmond Pope (Captain, USN, retired) was held, tried, and convicted in Russia of espionage related to information he obtained about the Shkval weapon system. Russian President

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...

pardoned Pope in December 2000 on humanitarian grounds because he had bone cancer.

Operators

* ** Russian Navy * (possibly) **

Islamic Republic of Iran Navy , ''Daryādelān''"Seahearts" , patron = , motto = fa, راه ما، راه حسین است, ''Rāh-e ma, rāh-e hoseyn ast''"''Our Path, Is Hussain's Path''" , colors = , ...

(possibly) * (possibly) ** Vietnam People's Navy (possibly equipped with Kilo-class submarines, it is suspected that Vietnam owns this type of torpedo in its inventory due to a picture showing a part of VA-111 and Vietnamese labels)

Variants

There are at least three variants: * VA-111 ''Shkval'' – Original variant; GOLIS autonomous inertial guidance. * "Shkval 2" – Current variant; believed to have additional guidance systems, possibly via the use of

vectored thrust Thrust vectoring, also known as thrust vector control (TVC), is the ability of an aircraft, rocket, or other vehicle to manipulate the direction of the thrust from its engine(s) or motor(s) to control the attitude or angular velocity of the ve ...

, and with a much longer range. * A less capable version currently being exported to foreign naval forces. The export version is referred to as "Shkval-E". *

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

claimed it has created a version named ''Hoot''. All current versions are believed to be fitted only with

conventional explosive An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An expl ...

warheads, although the original design used a nuclear warhead.

Specifications

* Length: * Diameter: * Weight: * Warhead weight: * Speed ** Launch speed: ** Maximum speed: or greater * Range: Around (new version). Older versions only

References

Sources

* * *

External links

FAS page on the VA-111 ''Shkval'' underwater rocket
* * {{cite news, last = Tyler , first = Patrick E. , author-link=Patrick Tyler , title = Behind Spy Trial in Moscow: A Superfast Torpedo , work= The New York Times , date = 1 December 2000 , url = https://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/01/world/behind-spy-trial-in-moscow-a-superfast-torpedo.html Dagdizel Plant products Supercavitating torpedoes Torpedoes of Russia Torpedoes of the Soviet Union Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1977